Palpable
/ˈpælpəbəl/noun
Able to be touched or felt; so intense or obvious that it seems physically present.
Did you know?Its deepest root is the Proto-Indo-European *pal-*, “to touch or stroke,” the same ancient source behind a whole family of words for sensation and contact.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pal-
“to touch, stroke, feel”
Latin
Latin
palpare
“to stroke, caress, feel with the hand”
Late Latin
Latin
palpabilis
“able to be touched; perceptible”
Old French
Old French
palpable
“capable of being touched or felt”
Middle English
English
palpable
“perceptible to the touch or senses”
Modern English
English
palpable
“readily perceived; tangible or obvious”